Into the wild. Cheetah project: Lessons from the trout era

The cheetah population in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park has increased marginally again. The arrival of 12 more cheetahs from South Africa demonstrates the government’s determination to reintroduce and establish cheetahs to India, once again.

The euphoria around this cheetah project is reminiscent of the British government’s drive to introduce trout fish into Indian rivers a century and a half ago. Interestingly, the first shipment of trout eggs to India was made 157 years ago in the month of February aboard a vessel called the SS Mongolia. With this, the endeavour to introduce trout in Indian streams began, which lasted several decades. The trout efforts are crucial to mention because, while the cases of cheetahs and trout are very different, there are many parallels between these two projects.

A species was granted a privilege pass into India’s ecosystem in both cases. In both occasions, the government’s resources, a whole lot of staff and a number of experts were thrown into the initiative to ensure its success. Furthermore, like the cheetah, the introduction of trout was not a one-time occurrence; extensive stocking had been designed to ensure a positive result.

Six months ago, it was reported that to ensure no shortage of food for the cheetahs coming to Kuno, the Forest Department has made arrangements for 250 cheetals, the little spotted dear. It is a separate matter that later on it was officially denied. But, it reminded of another occurrence when rainbow trout were introduced to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), where it was introduced alongside India.

The trout’s journey

When rainbow trout became established in Ceylon’s hilly rivers, some anglers grumbled that Ceylon trout rarely rose to native flies. George Fowler, a top British civil servant and colonel secretory at the time, proposed importing English mayflies to tempt them. While the popularity of trout fishing was growing by the day, a massive supply of mayflies was sent from England, but it was in vain. Eventually, extensive research was conducted to identify several indigenous flies that were more acceptable to Ceylon trout.

The similarity between the cheetah and the trout ends here. Trout is a fish that Mother Nature did not create for the Indian ecosystem. The British rulers of the time wanted to see their favourite fish in India, therefore it was transported with a lot of effort. They longed to hunt it and could not forget the taste, which had travelled with them across the seven seas to India. The recreational opportunities for British colonialists were a key driver for the transplantation of trout in India.

It was not easy to transport trout to India at the time. Air transport over such distances had not yet begun, and preserving trout eggs on the long journey across the ocean was nearly impossible. The introduction of trout in India is a one-of-a-kind and remarkable story of magnificent passion, numerous failures, and final triumph. At the same time, no consideration was given to native species that were forced to share natural resources with this invasive invader.

Native cheetah

The cheetah, on the other hand, is native to India. This is a species that has only been originated in this area. Nature designed it for the same climate found in India’s plains. We lost it more than 70 years ago as a result of deforestation and widespread hunting. The initiative undertaken in Kuno represents the cheetah’s return home. Though instead of the traditional Asiatic cheetah of India, the African cheetah is now being introduced.

At the moment, it is not possible to import Asiatic Cheetahs into India. These cheetahs can currently only be found in Iran. There too their number is only a little more than a dozen. When a species entirely disappears from a location, there is no other way to re-establish its nearest sub-species in that area.

It will not be easy either. Cheetahs are being reintroduced to an area where there hasn’t been this feline in more than 70 years. Throughout this time, the local ecosystem has evolved to live without cheetahs. It remains to be seen what type of stress the introduction of cheetahs and unique food arrangements would put on this environment.

Worryingly, the cheetah project is being portrayed as a political achievement. This is where we should recall the trout transplantation in India. After India become independent trout started to disappear from Indian streams, along with their erstwhile promoters. Political public relations has its own set of issues.

The writer is a senior journalist

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